AND THE BEAT GOES ON

As the saying goes in Northern Sotho or Sepedi: “moshito o tswela pele” – meaning the beat goes on. I am writing metaphorically to insinuate my case, regarding my journey and my quest, for education, learning and progression. I had been hopping like a grasshopper, from one discipline to another, in the process of learning and acquiring the necessary skills, in my journey to secure employment; and also, to acquire the relevant working experience and monetary value, to benefit my children, and the significant other.

The journey has never been a smooth sailing, with the fleet of disappointments and disillusionments. I have had plans of reaching a certain level of achievement and progression at this stage of my life. But life is life, with full of surprises. And the reality gets real for everybody everywhere. The covid-19 pandemic had poured the methylated spirit on the open wound globally. It had initiated the forth industrial revolution in the process, disrupting the norm in the corporate world, and rendering certain academic qualifications useless.

Many jobs are not coming back. The huge amount of skillset cannot be applied, as the changes in the job market requires the work of computer programmes, computerised apps, manufacturing machines, robots, self-driving vehicles and the varying technological developments. All of the advanced technology within the work environment renders the lot of manpower skillset unnecessary and useless. And that influences the huge rate of global corporate downsizing and unemployment.

The world of work is currently requiring skills that revolve around technology; but not everyone is set to pursue the technological careers. And sometimes, it is best for one to pursue one’s passion, as it has the potential to turn one into an expert of the particular field. None of us can deny the fact that lots of graduates are able to secure the relevant jobs after course completion; but the lot more remains vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and degradation. And the advice is always entrepreneurship.

The small business sector is not conducive for everybody to thrive due to enormous competition and technological advancement; on top of that, one need capital to start the business venture. Most people are struggling to purchase just small groceries for their household, and there is not enough funding for startups. Funding is sometimes available when the venture begins to grow with symptoms of success. The potential funders or investors are shy of investing in the business venture that has not been tested or initiated. So, most of the beautiful business proposals shall always be rejected.

There is no formula to success. And there is too much corruption to keep the wealth and riches to the selected few. This world is crazy and sometimes requires crazy ideas and decisions in pursuit of success. One ought to pursue one’s interest and passion at all cost when it comes to academic learning, for the sake of sanity, self-fulfillment and self-happiness. One ought to try different things and pursue new arenas. One ought to learn something new every day, as the internet is providing too much varying educational content for free.